Mail-catcher.



s. s. MOKEANDT MAIL GATGHERL APPLICATION FILED QOT. 9, 1909.

Patented M028, 1909.

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MAIL-CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentlgd Dec. 28.,

Application filed October e,. 1eoe. Serial it. 521,3?2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMPSON: SANDERS MoKnAnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ceredo, in the county of Wayne and State of West Virginia, haveinv'ented new and" useful Improvements in Mail-Catchers,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to means whereby mail or like matter may be delivered to or from a moving train, andhas forits object to devise novel appliances mounted upon the train and located along the track to insure interchange of mail between a station and a moving train 01 to admit; of mail being delivered either to the train or from a train to the station.

The present invention relates most especially to means whereby a container in part'ot the specification, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of an end portion of a postal car provided with, a catcher embodying the invention, together with an elevation of the supporting means located at a station for holding a mail bag or othercontainer in position to be taken up by the catcher of the train. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the outer end of the supporting arm on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of the pivoted arm when tripped by full lines 'and its operative positionwhen supporting the mail bag by dotted lines. Fig. 5 1s a horizontal sectionof the catcher and a por tion of the side of the car onthe line 5-5 of Fi l.

aorresponding and likeparts are referred to in the following description, and indicated in all the views of the drawings, by the same reference characters. V

A postl is erected at one side of the track at a place where mail is to be delivered to the moving train. An arm 2 projects horizontally from the upper end of the post 1 'toward the track and is provided at its outer end with a pendent part in which a transverse opening 3 is formed, an eye t being provided upon the outer portion of the arm and spaced from the part having the opening 3 so as to receive thering or other suspending means-5 of'the mail bag or container 6 holdingjthe matter to be delivered to the moving train. A. pin 7 is sup ported 1n the eye l and opening 3 andpasses through the ring or suspending means-1,5 of the mail bag or container 6 to hold the latter 1n suspension. The pin 7 is pivoted to the lower or outer end of a pivoted arnr 8, whichis pivoted at 9 to an extension 10 of the arm When ,the pin 7 is in operative position,

as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 3, the pivoted arm 8 occupies a VQl'ilCtl position and extends above the support 10 to which it is pivoted. When the upper end of the pivoted arm 8 is engaged by the trip oi the car it is moved to cause the arm to assume a horizontal position, as indicated in Fig. 4

h l L 7 thereby wlthdrawlng the pin iron-1 the eye at and opening 3 and admitting of the mail bag or container 6 dropping," v The car is indicated at 11 and is provided with an opening 12 which is closed by means of a door 13. A catcher 14 is hinged to a side of the car at one side of the door opening 12 and is adapted to be swung outward, as indicated in Fig. 2, or to be swung in- 9Q ward, as shown in Fig. The catcher it consists of a receptacle ofsegment form in horizontal section. The'front wall 15 of the I catcher is lower than the inner and the outer walls to admit of the mail bag or container passing thereover when entering the catcher. The outer wall of the catcher is curved on the arc of a circle corresponding approxi- -r'nately to the hinge connection of the catcher with the car. A brace 16 holds the catcherwhen swung outward into operative position. An opening 17 is formed in the the catcher after delivery has been efi'ected. The opening 17 also admits ofthebrace 16 being reached when it is .required either to secure or to release the catcher. The inner wall of the catcher has'a vertical-extension 18, which is widened at its upper end and provided with an overhan ing portion 19, to

extend over the catcher an prevent rain eninner wall of the catcher to admit of the mail bag or container being removed from;

tering the same. The extension 18 is provided with a projection 20, which extends outwardly and isadapted to engage with the upper end of the pivoted arm 8 and operate the same to withdraw the pin 7 and eifect release of the mail bag. and admit of the same dropping into the catcher.

When it is required to deliver mail from a station to the postal car of a moving train the bag or container 6 holding the matter is suspended from the arm 2 by means of the pin' 7 and the catcher lat is swung outward from the side of'the car, as indicated in Fig. 2, and made secure by means of the brace 16. Asthe car approaches the station the bag or container 6 enters the front .side of the catcher and the arm 8 is tripped by means of the projection 20, thereby withdrawing the pin 7 and admitting of the bag 6 dropping into the catcher. The bag may be removed from the catcher through the opening 17 and the catcher may be swun into the car so as to be outof the way an the opening closed by means of the door 13,

as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I 'now consider to be the embodiment thereof,

opening, a pin adapted to be supported in said eye and opening to hold the mail bag or contalner in suspended position for delivcry, and a pivoted arm having the pin connected therewith and adapted to be trippedto effect release of the said bag.

2. In means for delivering mail, the combination-of a supporting arm. provided with oted arm to eflect release of the mail bag supported thereby.

3. In means for delivering and receiving mail, a catcher comprising a bottom and three inclosing sides, the outer side being curved approximately on the arc of acircle, and the front side being lowerthan the remaining two sides, and the inner side having an extension provided at its upper end with a projecting portion overhanging the catcher.

4. In combination with a postal car having a door opening, a catcher pivoted in the door opening to swing inward and outward having its outer side curved approximately. on the are of a circle, the inner side having an opening therein to admit of access to the-catcher after the same has been swung outward from the side of lie car, and means for holding the catcher iri operative position when swung outward.

In testimony whereof I ai'fix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMPSON SANDERS .MGKEAND.

Witnesses:

MINNIE RHonEs, P. P. CHAPMAN. 

